Welcome to Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips, a column of meandering culinary sensibilities, investigating the world of food and fare from a plethora of perspectives.
Claire Saffitz is a true modern paragon in the culinary industry. While she is known internationally as the former senior food editor of Bon Appétit, creator of the fan-favourite Gourmet Makes YouTube videos, and author of myriad superb recipes, Saffitz’s roots trace back through to our very own Montreal. Saffitz earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University before venturing north to McGill, where she studied early modern French culinary history, earning her master’s in history in 2013. Saffitz made her name working in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen during its golden years in the mid-2010s. After departing Condé Nast in 2020, Saffitz proved her strength as a fundamental tastemaker in the food world, moving on to create viral content for New York Times Cooking, launching her own YouTube Channel, and writing two New York Times-bestselling cookbooks, Dessert Person and What’s For Dessert. Given that Saffitz is my personal culinary hero, I had the incredible honour of interviewing her, garnering insight into her remarkable career thus far and the state of the food industry.
Luxe Palmer for The McGill Daily (MD): You’ve done so much in your career, from studying culinary arts in Paris and early modern cookbooks at McGill, to becoming an internet personality with Bon Appétit, New York Times Cooking, and Dessert Person, to writing two outstanding cookbooks, and now to homesteading in Hudson Valley and producing your own YouTube channel. Are there any highlights of your journey thus far, and/ or anything that stands out about this particular moment in your career?
Claire Saffitz (CS): There have been many wonderful highlights, including winning the IACP Julia Child First Cookbook Award for Dessert Person, as well as filming a croissant recipe video for New York Times Cooking that has become their most viewed video ever. Another milestone was gaining one million subscribers to my YouTube channel. At this moment, I am a new mom and trying to figure out how to balance work with my family and time with my baby. This definitely feels like a new chapter.
MD: In interviews, you have said that you love structure, routine, and details (we get along famously in that respect). How have you balanced that work ethic with the instability and unpredictability of freelance work?
CS: I have been pretty much nonstop writing a cookbook in some form or another since 2018, and running my YouTube since 2020. I therefore have lots of control over my own schedule and can plan how I want to divide my time. It can be hard to impose a structure on myself, and I do not think [that] I have it perfectly figured out yet. At the same time, the freedom and flexibility is a huge gift.
MD: You have cited Julia Child as one of your top culinary inspirations (rightly so); do you have any other women muses or icons pertaining to cooking and/or life in general?
CS: I am a big admirer of Ruth Reichl and Martha Stewart and the career paths they carved.
MD: There is a tension within the culinary industry often faced by women in the field. In the historical concept of the domestic realm, the kitchen was societally prescribed as the “women’s sphere.” However, the restaurant industry has traditionally been a heavily masculinized, male-dominated sphere, à la Kitchen Confidential. As a highly renowned luminary in today’s food world, how have you navigated these gender dichotomies in the industry?
CS: I bristle against the ways that the restaurant industry has traditionally tolerated — and even celebrated — male chefs (and some female ones) who lead their kitchens through anger and intimation. I knew I never wanted to be a part of that culture, so I didn’t pursue a career in restaurant kitchens (there were other reasons as well). Food media is actually pretty female-dominated, so I had a lot of women who I felt I could look to for guidance.
MD: One of my particular passions is how food acts as a love language, connecting people across time, place, cultures, and generations. How does your childhood, family history and/or ancestry play into your food and tastes?
CS: Big question! Too big for this space, but I grew up in a household with parents who loved to cook and loved to eat, and who valued food. I grew up understanding that eating is a source of pleasure, which pointed me in the direction of my current career path.
MD: Speaking to your status as a McGill alumnus and your Master’s in culinary history, what are your thoughts on navigating the boundaries between respecting and breaking tradition? Do considerations of culinary tradition, from the strict rules of Parisian pastry technique to the deeper histories behind classic recipes and methods, factor into your personal recipe development practices?
CS: I am respectful of tradition, and generally believe in the idea that the classics are classic for a reason. I don’t try to reinvent the wheel. I like to work with familiar and tried-and-true flavour combinations. Technique is important to me, and I don’t do a lot of “hacks.” I like to try to make things as they’re supposed to be made, but ideally in a streamlined way.
MD: Do you have any advice for college students cooking? Is there a recipe you think everyone should have in their toolbelt – a go-to crowd-pleaser or a technique that will set up a home cook for success?
CS: My best cooking advice is to make a recipe multiple times – it’s easy to always try a new recipe once and then move on, but there is so much understanding to be gained from making one over and over again. That’s how to learn what happens when, for example, you change an ingredient (or even a brand of the same ingredient), or use a different piece of cookware, etc. It’s how you learn the cause-and-effects and nuances of cooking. I think learning to cook pasta, an omelet, a basic vinaigrette, and maybe roasting a chicken are all great starting points.
MD: What’s for Dessert has a distinct retro visual aesthetic, alongside recipes that hark back to mid-century cooking, like icebox cakes, cherries jubilee, Eton mess, and multiple soufflé iterations. I’ve definitely noticed a recent trend toward vintage food and flavours (i.e. The Corner Store in NYC, a resurgence in Americana diners, and the nostalgia of shrimp cocktails or Girl Scout cookies). What attracts you to that era of cuisine? What other culinary trends or themes do you have your eye on?
CS: Nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially when it comes to food. I could spend my time trying to invent a brand new dish, but I’d rather riff on familiar dishes and flavour combinations because they can be so fun and transporting to both make and eat. It’s fun discovering old dishes and making them feel new again. I don’t see it so much as a trend for me personally, though mid-century food has seemed to be big since the pandemic. People definitely seek out the familiar as a form of comfort.
MD: From my own perspective, the culinary industry is a bit unusual in its different methods of entry and criteria for experience: you can work your way up a restaurant brigade, or start as a beat reporter (not even necessarily for a food publication), or attempt the terrifyingly unreliable medium of freelance work. Social media has recently opened a new door to the food world, with content creators like Justine Doiron and Meredith Hayden making substantial careers from their Internet success. How has the process of entering the culinary work field changed since you first began? What advice might you give to someone looking to join its ranks?
CS: There are so many entry points to the industry, and I entered in a more traditional way through food media. I am glad that there is less gate-keeping now with social media, and I encourage people to start in whatever way is most practical for them. But in any context, it’s important to develop the core skill set first – so that means developing a voice and writing skills if you want to be a food writer, and cooking skills and experience if you want to be a recipe developer or cook.
MD: Lastly, and more generally, what excites you right now? What are you looking forward to?
CS: I am very excited about my next book project, which includes lots of savoury cooking. It’s so much fun to develop these recipes and cook for myself and my family at the same time. There’s more of a sense of instant gratification and authenticity, since I am developing recipes I love and actually cook often.